In My Time of Need
by Nazgul67
Summary: Ever since "Mare Do Well", Rainbow Dash has always felt she never deserved her friends. After a heated argument, she sticks with Gilda, her old pal. When her friends are in danger, will she put aside everything and save them, or leave them to their doom?
1. Chapter 1

Lightning flashed. Thunder rolled, and raindrops of sorrow fell dramatically to the ground.

"Why.." Rainbow Dash cried out. "Why did you have to do that to me?"

"Do what, Rainbow? You're not making any sense," her good friend Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Mare Do Well...Why did you make an idiot out of me like that?" the pegasus asked.

"That we did not do, Rainbow Dash," Twilight explained. "We were trying to teach you a lesson of humility."

"What humility did I learn from it?" Rainbow shouted. "All I learnt that you are no good friend of mine!"

"Rainbow...please," Twilight said. She felt the conversation getting more intensive by the minute.

"...I thought you were my friends," Rainbow said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"We always were," Twilight said.

"Well, NOT ANYMORE," Rainbow Dash said. She turned her back on her friends, and begun walking slowly out of Ponyville. "Maybe...maybe I should just live alone in the clouds forever..."

"Rainbow Dash, come to your senses!" the unicorn shouted to her. "We still love you for who you are!"

"Then why were you trying to humiliate me?" Rainbow Dash shouted back.

"We weren't!" Twilight said. "Well, in a sense, we were but -!"

"So you WERE trying to humiliate me!" Rainbow Dash said, turning around.

"We were doing it for YOUR sake," Twilight explained. "We didn't want you becoming a braggart like Trixie."

Rainbow didn't say anything. She stood there in the rain, deep in thought. After a while, she shouted, "...Then you're not my friend anymore!"

She ran off in the distance, leaving Twilight and the others deep in dismay.


	2. Chapter 2

"They're right..." Rainbow said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm just Rainbow Dash, a boastful jerk."

"At school, all I ever heard were insults and mocking laughter."

"Even...even my only friend, Gilda, betrayed me."

Rainbow Dash lay on a dark cloud for a whole hour, alone. She thought about her fillyhood, and about her days as a Junior Speedster.

"I knew, that the whole time, they just waited for a chance to tell me -"

"What a JERK I am!"

Almost at once, the pegasus heard a voice in her head. "Rainbow," it said. "Rainbow."

Rainbow Dash looked around alarmed, to see who kept repeating her name. "Who - who's there?" she asked.

"Rainbow, you know who I am," the voice said, in an icy, yet soothing voice.

"Who are you?" Rainbow Dash asked, miserably.

"That does not matter now, Rainbow Dash," the voice said.

"Why are you here?" Rainbow asked, calming down a bit.

"Why, to console you, my dear," the voice said again, chuckling softly. "To tell you the truth."

Rainbow Dash did not say anything. She knew it was no point trying to fight the voice out, for it was only a voice in her head, and nothing else.

"Twilight Sparkle," the voice said.

Rainbow Dash shivered a little. That voice knew Twilight? Who was it? Who was saying these things? It was definately not Discord, because the voice sounded female. And there was no way it was Nightmare Moon. It would have to remain a mystery, Rainbow told herself,...for now.

"Pinkie Pie," whispered the voice again.

"Fluttershy. Rarity. AppleJack. They were all your friends once, am I right?"

Rainbow Dash managed to stammer, "Y-yes."

"Well WRONG!" the voice shouted. A roll of thunder crashed as the voice said that. Lightning flashed across the sky, adding to the suspense and dangerous reputation of the mysterious voice.

"Gilda was right. Gilda didn't betray you - she was warning you. She _told _you those ponies were lame and stupid. She _told _you they were dweebs! And did you listen? No, you did not. And now you have a chance. Stay with them, or do what is better for both of you. Your call," the voice trailed away and soon, it was out of Rainbow's head.

The pegasus seemed to be deep in thought, pondering on what she had just heard. At last, she made her decision.

"I _have _to apologize! I _have _to say I'm sorry! I was wrong - all along," she told herself. "I have to apologize -"

She smirked, and added, "To GILDA..."

With that, she flew off, further and further into the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

"Dash! That lame-o Dash. She betrayed me! She betrayed me for those stupid lame ponies of hers! And I thought she was my friend."

The rather infuriated words echoed around the mountains, and into the golden sky. They came from the top of the highest rocky cliff, where a small figure lamented to herself over the loss of her good friend, Rainbow Dash. It looked half-eagle and half-lion, and was, in fact, a griffon. But not ANY griffon, but THE griffon. Gilda.

"Wait - it wasn't Dash's fault. It was those dweebs! Pinkie Pie! She - she stole Dash off me!" Gilda shouted, her words echoing once more.

She calmed down at once. "Dash..." she said. "I called her Queen Lame-o! I called her a flip-flop! And I was wrong. It was _Pinkie Pie! __She _was the one who_ stole _Dash off me!"

Bitter tears stung her eyes like nettles. "Dash," she whispered, as if the wind would convey her words to the pegasus. "I'm sorry."

With that, Gilda looked up, and saw a blue object in the air. With the tears blinding her, she thought it was just another gnarly seagull. But more than that. She wiped her eyes and saw - Dash! Rainbow Dash!

Rainbow landed next to her old pal, preparing for a sharp "Buzz off" from her friend.

"Gilda?" she asked, head down low. "I'm sorry. You were right about those ponies. I...was wrong."

"So..Dash? Have you decided not to be lame anymore?" the griffon asked, her heart dancing in secret.

Dash looked back to the direction of Ponyville. She thought about her times with her pony friends, and all the fun they had together. "Yeah," she said. "Come on, G, who needs them? Let's hang out, like in the old days."

"Dude, you wanna race?" Gilda asked.

Dash looked up immediately. She grinned and said, "You bet, G! See you at the finish line!"

"Ready, Set, GO!" Gilda called, as the two raced off. Rainbow got to the nearest cliff faster than Gilda, and she triumphantly looked back at her.

"Ha! I _knew _I'll win!" she laughed, doing a somersault in the air when she landed.

"Oh yeah? Want another race?" Gilda asked.

"You're on!" Dash called back.

"Ready, set, GO!"

"Hey, Dash? Game enough to beat me to Ghastly Gorge?" Gilda asked, over the wind.

Rainbow put on the brakes. "No way! That's _too _close to Ponyville! I'm _NOT _going there!"

"Hey, Dash, you're joshing me! Come on, dude! I thought you were braver than that. Or have you turned chicken from staying around these _lame _ponies?"

"Hey! I'll show _you _who's chicken!" Rainbow cried out, speeding up and bolting towards the Ghastly Gorge.

XXX

"It's all our fault," AppleJack said. "Ah ain't sayin' its hopeless, but where will we fahnd Rainbow now? Ah bet'cha she's on the other sahde of Equestria bah now."

"No, it's not," Twilight said. "We _have _to keep searching. We'll find her...somehow."

"But Twilight!" Rarity said. "We've searched the whole of Canterlot and Ponyville in one day! My hooves are ever so weary from all this searching!"

"And she could be anywhere!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Girls! We _can't _be the mane six without Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cried out.

"Well, duh! We'll have to be the mane seven! Rainbow is one, and we are six, and six minus one is seven! Or was it eight? Or was it nine?" Pinkie Pie chattered.

AppleJack stood up and slowly walked to the edge of a golden cliff. She thought of all the fun she and Rainbow Dash had together, and all the races and competitions they did. She stared at the idyllic apricot sky, thinking of everything the mane six did, that Rainbow Dash took part in. "Do," she said, turning sadly to the others. "Do yer think we were a little too _hard _on her? Ah mean, do yer think we treated her unfairly?"

Twilight looked down to the dusty ground. "Perhaps, AppleJack," she said, "Maybe we weren't fair to her. Aw, I wish we never thought of Mare Do Well!"

"But then Rainbow will be a braggart all her life!" Pinkie Pie cried out.

"I'm sorry, everypony. I didn't know this idea of mine would turn out so bad. I just wanted to teach her a lesson," Twilight said, feeling as though a dagger was pierced in her heart. She hated seeing her friends sad - and being the one responsible for it.

"Oh, it wasn't entirely your fault, Twilight," Rarity consoled. "Don't get me wrong - we _all _took part in this horrifying idea of yours."

"Oh...we've searched _everywhere! _Even in the mountains like we are now! Let's go back home, girls."

They were about to leave, until -

"Whoa! G! That was awesome!"

The strong wind carried in a very familiar voice to them. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cried out, recognizing the voice.

All five ponies darted off to follow the voice.

XXX

"Wow, Dash. You totally rocked this mountain with your moves. Got any more to show me?" Gilda asked.

"Aww, thanks, G! Couldn't be as awesome as you are," Rainbow Dash said. "Well, on second thought, I AM more awesome than you -"

"So, got any?" Gilda asked, not amused.

"You bet! Stand back, G! This may take a while!" Rainbow cried out.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Rainbow!"

"Hey, Rainbow! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Rainbow Dash gasped and stopped at once. In front of her eyes, were the five ponies from Ponyville!

Her eyes shifted nervously around, as she was pelted with questions.

After a while, she screamed, "NO! I'm not going home! And you can't make me!" She bolted off, leaving her former friends behind her.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Chapter 4

"Get her, girls!" Twilight ordered. Fluttershy, rather reluctantly, leapt off the ground daintily, and darted after Rainbow Dash - twice her normal speed.

AppleJack pulled out her loosa, and swung it in circles madly, before letting it loose, causing it to soar a distance away.

"Yeehaw!" she cried out, as her loosa tied itself tight around Rainbow Dash, like she planned it to.

Fluttershy gulped nervously, and pulled Rainbow Dash back. Rainbow Dash struggled to escape.

"Come on, y'all! Ah can't do this alone!" AppleJack cried out, behind her teeth - which was gripping tightly on the rope.

Pinkie Pie pulled AppleJack, helping her to stop Rainbow Dash from flying away. Soon, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle joined in, tugging at the rope desperately.

All this was too much for Rainbow Dash. She fell back, landing on her back on the same cliff the other ponies were standing on.

"Tie her up! Quickly, everypony!" Twilight cried out.

They obeyed her commands, and tied the pegasus firmly to the ground.

ooo

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, when she re-gained her consciousness.

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight scolded. "What do you think you're doing? We're your friends!"

"Are not!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Are too!" Rarity snapped back.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"ARE NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"Stop it, girls," Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash, look, we're sorry for -"

"Apology NOT accepted!" Rainbow Dash cried out. "If you cared about me so much, you wouldn't have even tried to humiliate me like you did! Now let me go!"

"Stop squirming, Rainbow Dash. You're getting my mane dirty," Rarity complained.

"As if I care," Rainbow Dash thought. But she didn't say this aloud.

She closed her eyes, letting the voice of the blabbering Twilight Sparkle go on and on in her head. She was about to fall unconscious again, before she heard a griffon call!

"Gilda! You're here!" she cried out, in joy, as she opened her eyes to see her friend soaring above her.

Gilda stared down at Dash. "Dash, what's going on?" she asked, obviously drawn by the commotion.

"G, you gotta help me! These ponies are forcing me home! Gilda - save me! They've tied me while I was unconscious!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

Gilda looked confused for a minute, before narrowing her eyes. "Pinkie Pie!" she said, recognizing the pink pony in the crowd.

She roared, and pounced on Pinkie Pie, before wrestling her, and flinging her against a rock - leaving her unconscious.

AppleJack charged at her, kicking the Griffon with her hind legs. Gilda had no time to dodge, and roared in pain and anger. She dashed up into the air, before swooping down, knocking the orange pony away.

Rarity was horrified. She preffered not to fight, as did Fluttershy, and the two stood there, like monuments. Gilda pounced on Fluttershy, who was the weaker of the two, and the poor pegasus was sent flying.

Rarity's eyes narrowed, shouting, "It. Is. ON."

She kicked Gilda professionally, causing the Griffon to bang against a rock. But Gilda was not as weak as the other ponies, and except for being temporally stunned, she wasn't much hurt by it.

She, in return, gave Rarity a strong jab, causing her to soar through the sky, before crashing down, unware of what had happened.

Twilight was left. She wanted to use her magic, but using magic took a long while. Gilda just knocked her out flat.

ooo

The fight was over. Gilda casually walked over to Rainbow Dash, and untied her.

Rainbow Dash cried out, with a sparkle of admiration in her eye, "Wow, G! That was awesome! And uh...thanks. You - you saved my life. And sorry for bringing them here."

Gilda just laughed and said, "It's what good pals do, Dash. No need to thank me, dude. So...want to head back to the Griffon Kingdom? You're always welcome."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Awesome! Beat you there!"

Gilda shook her head. "Ah, sorry, dude. After that fight, n'thanks." She looked over her shoulder, at the scars and cuts on her back.

"Aww...come on, G! I can't _wait _to see your home. It's gonna be SO awesome!" the blue pegasus cried out, squeezing her face with two hooves.

ooo

"Stop right there, pony!" a Griffon guard commanded, pointing a spear at Rainbow Dash. "Dude, who do ya think you are to enter the Griffon Kingdom?"

"Guards, chill out - This is my good friend, Rainbow Dash. Dash and I were friends since the Junior Speedsters," Gilda said.

"Hey, guys," Rainbow Dash greeted.

"Too true, but see she is up to no mischief, young lady," the guard said, not convinced.

ooo

"Wow, this is just as awesome as I imagined! G, you're the best!" Rainbow Dash cried out, before remembering herself, and adding, "After me, of course."

Gilda glared at her, before laughing out loud. Rainbow joined in the laughter.

She looked around, in awe. There were high buildings, tall towers, and wooden houses with wooden posts. There were great stone monuments, of important Griffons such as the former King. Also, there were beautiful clouds that hung in the sky, forming a picture, that flashed white and grey - and sometimes rained on the houses below.

Also, there was a palace - or should I say - a HUGE castle there. It had two tall towers on either side, and a castle wall for protection. Of course, the whole Kingdom was floating among the clouds, so there was no need for walls around the city.

"Here comes the best part, Dash," Gilda said. She took her friend to a large house next to the castle. The label on the house said -

"_THE WONDERBOLTS?_" Rainbow Dash asked, eyes as wide-opened as her mouth.

"Sure, cool ponies like them are the only ponies allowed here, dude," Gilda explained.

"So - if I show 'em my stuff here - then they'll label me as cool?" Dash asked. "Awesome!"

"Yeah, it's cool. My house is only a door away, so I get to see 'em every day," Gilda said.

"Your house? Is that awesome too?" Rainbow Dash asked, quite taken-aback with shock and excitement.

"Sure is. Come in, Dash," Gilda said, when they got to her house.

"Hi Mum. Hey, Pop. I brought home a buddy of mine," she told her parents.

A middle-aged Griffon appeared and gaped in shock, "Gilda! It's a gnarly pony! How dare -"

"Ugh...relax, Mum. She's the cool pony I was tellin' you about the other day," Gilda groaned.

"Oh shit, is that right? Welcome!" her mother shouted. "It's dinner time, G!"

"Gilda? What does "shit" mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, unfamiliar with Griffon language.

"Part of Griffon speech. Anyway, come on, Dash. It's time for us to chow-down," Gilda said. "Or are you not awesome enough to eat Griffon food?"

"Darn it, G! I'm game if you are!" Dash laughed, as she followed her friend to the dining room.

ooo

"Ugh..seriously, G?" Rainbow Dash asked, a little sick. "You eat all this each day?" She stared down to the rest of the gigantic dinner she still had on her plate.

"Sure, what do _you _eat at home?" Gilda asked. She had already wolfed down a hamburger, and two turkey sandwiches.

"Oh, uh...usually hay, or apple cider. Y'know," Rainbow Dash said. "Every now and then - a cheese sandwich."

"You don't eat meat?" Gilda asked, almost horrified.

"Meat? No thanks," Rainbow replied.

"Pity. So what - gnarly apples and smokin' hay? Dash, you're joshin' me, dude," Gilda said. "Oh dammit, it's eight o'clock. See ya tommorrow morning, Dash."

"Why? And what the hay does "dammit" mean?"

"Find out," Gilda said. "Eight o'clock. Gotta wake up early for the next day, dude."

ooo

"Come on, Mum. What the hell do you mean - she can't stay. The laws are - any cool guy or girl who enters Griffon Kingdom - STAYS," Gilda argued.

"Alright, but only for a few days," Mum replied. "The retard can have the upper room."

Gilda was about to break into a fury, when Rainbow asked, "What does retard mean? Or what the hell? What's hell?"

"Griffon language," Gilda replied, before returning to her room.

**Rainbow and Gilda? Hooray! **

**RD learning Griffon language? Oh no...**


	5. Chapter 5

"We almost had her..." AppleJack groaned, still dizzy from the incident with Gilda. "Almost. Ah ain't kiddin' y'all."

"We...were so close...to saving Rainbow Dash from her..well..." Twilight said, before sighing sadly.

"That Gilda! She's a meanie grumpy mean-meanie-pants!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"And look what she did to my hair! And my hooves! Oh my stars! Whatever happened here?" Rarity squealed, rubbing the mud off her flank.

"She _is _all of what we imagined," Twilight sighed. "But let it go."

"Let it go?" the other mane six asked, in horror.

"Without Rainbow Dash? Are you loco in the coco?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Oh my...do you think...um...maybe she won't come back?" Fluttershy feared, her eyes dark with worry.

"What's the point of all this?" Twilight asked. "She'll NEVER come to her senses! Come on, girls, let's go home!"

"That's it!" she called out, eyes brightening. "We'll have write search papes, and post them all over Equestria! Come on, girls! It's sure to find help!"

The ponies followed their excited leader, as she ran home.

ooo

But Dash wasn't even _in _Equestria. She was outside it, or at least, above it. In the dreamy Kingdom of the Griffons. What could be better than that?

"Morning, Dash," Gilda said, the next morning. "What's up?"

"Ugh...I dunno," Rainbow Dash groaned. "I'm goin' back home tonight, G."

"What? Back to your _lame _home with all those pony dweebs?" Gilda asked, horrified.

"Mm-mm," Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head. "Wrong, G. I'm gonna go back to the cliffs, in exile."

"Dash! What the hell is wrong with you! Seriously, Dash? You're welcome to Griffin Kingdom as long as you want!" Gilda cried out.

"Uh..it IS pretty awesome here, G. But..." Rainbow said, "It's not like I have my own home here..."

Gilda was about to snap back at her, but instead, she remained silent, deep in thought. "Hey, Dash, now that's a thought, dude. By Pelliea's feather, go get your own home here. You just need the bits."

"That's the point!" Rainbow cried out. "By Celestia's shapely flank, G! I don't have any bits!"

"Hmm...hey, guess what? I remember a few times some Griffon got a residence for free. I dunno, you wanna stay here? Act like a Griffon," Gilda said.

"Awesome! G, you comin'?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Sure, Dash. Why not? Whew, glad to see you're not as lame as I thought," Gilda replied. "Ugh...the thought of _you _hangin' out with those dweebs. Huh, nice to see you've come to your senses. Race you there!"

Rainbow Dash grinned, as the two took off, side by side.

ooo

"Hello there," the Griffon King said. Almost immediately, he jumped so suddenly, his crown nearly fell off his head. "My, my! Gilda, dude! What's this?"

"Chillax, your Awesomeness," Gilda said, coolly. "A friend of mine. Nuh...she's cool."

"Yeah, hi! I'm Rainbow Dash...and I was just thinkin' - can I become a citizen of...Griffon Kingdom? Please? It would be a Dream Come True!" Rainbow Dash cried out, before remembering she was talking to a King. "Your Highness."

The King's face turned red as a tomato. "Guards! Guards!" he called. The Queen (Pelliea) started weeping into a hankerchief.

"What's goin' on, G? Did I say something wrong?" Rainbow asked her friend.

Gilda whispered into her ear, "You don't say "Highness" or "Majesty" here, Dash. Not unless you're sayin' we're as a lame level as those ponies are. Stick to "Awesomeness" or "Coolness", or on extreme occasions, "Radicalness.""

"Sweet," the blue pegasus said. "But shouldn't _I_ rule then? I _am _cool, awesome and radical - all at once!"

Gilda shot her a half-glare, which caused Rainbow to laugh it off.

"Sorry, your Coolness," Rainbow apologized, addressing the King.

"Ah, much better. What a fine lass you are, dude," the King said.

"Heh, and what a great King you are," Rainbow Dash said. "Dude."

"She's a pony? She speaks the Griffon Language!" the King's youngest son shouted. "Awesome!"

"Oh shucks," Rainbow Dash said. "I just -"

"No! Do not speak the pony language in our eyes!" Queen Pelliea said, harshly.

"Oh my Celestia," Rainbow Dash said. "Sorry."

"It burns!" wailed the palace maid.

"Oh my uh...Oh my Pelliea! I'm so sorry!" Dash cried out, and she meant it.

"That's much better," the King laughed. "Now, who exactly are you, dude?"

"Rainbow Dash. The fastest young flier in Equestria!" Rainbow Dash said, proudly. "15 years old, same age as Gilda. So, what do you say, Your Awesomeness?"

"Impressive, now, please. Only cool Griffons - or ponies, in your case - are made citizens of Griffon Kingdom. Show us your stuff, if you please, in front of -" the Queen said. Three ponies suddenly bolted down in front of Rainbow. "The Wonderbolts!"

"Oh my - uh...Oh my Pelliea!" Rainbow Dash cried out. "The Wonderbolts? This is so awesome!"

ooo

"Oh my Pelliea," Spitfire said. "Aww shit, Rainbow Dash. That was freakin' great!"

"Yeah, you're almost as awesome as my pie," Soarin' remarked, burying his face into his apple pie.

"Woo POW!" the other Wonderbolt said, nodding in agreement.

"I'm nothing much, guys," Rainbow Dash said, bashfully.

"What the hay - hell, I meant - do you mean, Dash? You're great! Whadd'ya say, Your Awesomeness?" Spitfire asked the King Griffon.

"Entertaining! And that Sonic Rainboom. Dude, that's not lame at all! It's one heck of a performance!" the King exclaimed.

"You think he's gonna?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Gilda.

"Sure, Dash. I mean, come on. You rock, dude," Gilda whispered back.

Rainbow Dash felt happier than she had ever felt before.

"Dudes and Dudettes! I, the King of Griffon Kingdom, hereby decree - that this Rainbow Dash be made a citizen of Griffon Kingdom! I also grant her a home down in the Village District," the King declared. The Prince and Queen said, in unison, "What's up, RD?"

There was a grand celebration that night. Everydude was either break-dancing or dancing hip hop on the dance floor, to the beat of DJ Dudett3. (DJ P0n3)

However, maybe the loudness was not a good thing...

ooo

"What's that noise? It's so hurting my ears! Make it stop! Make it stop! HAS ANYPONY EVER HEARD OF A BEAUTY SLEEP?" Rarity whined, in her whiny voice.

"Ugh...no sleep..." a background pony grunted.

"What's going on, girls? Somepony turn that music off!" Twilight cried out, through the window of her library. But the music resisted.

She went downstairs with Spike, and out of the door.

There was not a single pony asleep. "My ears..." Bon Bon growled. Lyra added, "The music's killing my eyes!"

"Your eyes?" Bon Bon asked, turning to her friend.

"What? It's killing your _ears_, and myeyes," Lyra said, triumphantly.

No one took any notice of the two, as they argued more and more. Suddenly, a huge shout was heard -

"Woohoo! You rock, G! Let's party! Rainbow Dash is in the house!"

The voice sounded so familiar, Twilight couldn't help but scream, "Rainbow Dash!"

The mane five forgot about everything, and rushed towards the noise, Rarity in her silk pyjamas, and Twilight with her cursed hair.

**:O What's gonna happen? Watch out Rainbow - the power of friendship is much stronger than the strength of Griffons. **


End file.
